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This book, originally published in French, examines the
philosophical debates on functions over the last forty years and
proposes new ways of analysis. Pervasive throughout the life
sciences, the concept of function has the air of an epistemological
scandal: ascribing a function to a biological structure or process
amounts to suggesting that it is explained by its effects. This
book confronts the debates on function with the use of the notion
in a wide range of disciplines, such as biology, psychology, and
medicine. It also raises the question of whether this notion, which
is as old in the history of technology as it is in the life
sciences, has the same meaning in these two domains.
This book explores issues raised by past and present practices of
animal enhancement in terms of their means and their goals,
clarifies conceptual issues and identifies lessons that can be
learned about enhancement practices, as they concern both animals
and humans.
This book offers a comprehensive exploration of the major key
concepts common to economics and evolutionary biology. Written by a
group of philosophers of science, biologists and economists, it
proposes analyses of the meaning of twenty-five concepts from the
viewpoint respectively of economics and of evolutionary biology
-each followed by a short synthesis emphasizing major discrepancies
and commonalities. This analysis is surrounded by chapters
exploring the nature of the analogy that connects evolution and
economics, and chapters that summarize the major teachings of the
analyses of the keywords. Most scholars in biology and in economics
know that their science has something in common with the other one,
for instance the notions of competition and resources. Textbooks
regularly acknowledge that the two fields share some history -
Darwin borrowing from Malthus the insistence on scarcity of
resources, and then behavioral ecologists adapting and transforming
game theory into evolutionary game theory in the 1980s, while
Friedman famously alluded to a Darwinian process yielding the
extant firms. However, the real extent of the similarities, the
reasons why they are so close, and the limits and even the nature
of the analogy connecting economics and biological evolution,
remain inexplicit. This book proposes basis analyses that can
sustain such explication. It is intended for researchers, grad
students and master students in evolutionary and in economics, as
well as in philosophy of science.
Human enhancement has become a major concern in debates about the
future of contemporary societies. This interdisciplinary book is
devoted to clarifying the underlying ambiguities of these debates,
and to proposing novel ways of exploring what human enhancement
means and understanding what practices, goals and justifications it
entails.
In Darwinism's Struggle for Survival Jean Gayon offers a
philosophical interpretation of the history of theoretical
Darwinism. He begins by examining the different forms taken by the
hypothesis of natural selection in the nineteenth century (Darwin,
Wallace, Galton) and the major difficulties which it encountered,
particularly with regard to its compatibility with the theory of
heredity. He then shows how these difficulties were overcome during
the seventy years which followed the publication of Darwin's Origin
of Species, and he concludes by analysing the major features of the
genetic theory of natural selection, as it developed from 1920 to
1960. This rich and wide-ranging study will appeal to philosophers
and historians of science and to evolutionary biologists.
Having examined previous volumes of the Boston Studies series
devoted to different countries, and having discussed the best way
to present contemporary research in France, we have arrived at a
careful selection of 15 participants, including the organizers. Our
aim is to bring together philosophers and practicing scientist from
the major institutions of the country, both universities and
research centers.
The areas of research represented here cover a wide spectrum of
sciences, from mathematics and physics to the life sciences, as
well as linguistics and economics. This selection is a showcase of
French philosophy of science, illustrating the different methods
employed: logico-linguistic analysis, rational reconstruction and
historical inquiry. These participants have the ability to relate
their research both to the French tradition and current discussions
on the international scene. Also included is a substantial
historical introduction, explaining the development of philosophy
of science in France, the various schools of thought and methods as
well as the major concepts and their significance.
Having examined previous volumes of the Boston Studies series
devoted to different countries, and having discussed the best way
to present contemporary research in France, we have arrived at a
careful selection of 15 participants, including the organizers. Our
aim is to bring together philosophers and practicing scientist from
the major institutions of the country, both universities and
research centers. The areas of research represented here cover a
wide spectrum of sciences, from mathematics and physics to the life
sciences, as well as linguistics and economics. This selection is a
showcase of French philosophy of science, illustrating the
different methods employed: logico-linguistic analysis, rational
reconstruction and historical inquiry. These participants have the
ability to relate their research both to the French tradition and
current discussions on the international scene. Also included is a
substantial historical introduction, explaining the development of
philosophy of science in France, the various schools of thought and
methods as well as the major concepts and their significance.
In Darwinism's Struggle for Survival Jean Gayon offers a
philosophical interpretation of the history of theoretical
Darwinism. He begins by examining the different forms taken by the
hypothesis of natural selection in the nineteenth century (Darwin,
Wallace, Galton) and the major difficulties which it encountered,
particularly with regard to its compatibility with the theory of
heredity. He then shows how these difficulties were overcome during
the seventy years which followed the publication of Darwin's Origin
of Species, and he concludes by analysing the major features of the
genetic theory of natural selection, as it developed from 1920 to
1960. This rich and wide-ranging study will appeal to philosophers
and historians of science and to evolutionary biologists.
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